The Golden Boy and the Silver Wolf
by toobeauty
Summary: Three different families get involved in this story, supernatural forces, nature and love will help and/or discourage the relationships between them. This is my NaNoWriMo novel for 2010.
1. Prologue

TITLE: The Golden Boy and the Silver Wolf.

AUTHOR: Too_beauty.

CHARACTERS: King Philip, Queen Olympias, Iris and Nikandros Amyntoros, Asteri, Kyanos, Alexander, Hephaestion, some companions.

RATING: R – Mature chapters will be warned in advanced.

CATEGORY: Alternative Universe – Supernatural, friendship, angst, romance.

DISCLAMER: I do not know the people involved; they belong to History and to themselves but I would not mind sharing my life with Phai! *sighs*

WARNING: none for this chapter.

NO BETA so all mistakes are mine. This is my first NaNoWriMo novel so have mercy! and help me to spot mistakes, pretty please?

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_**PROLOGUE.**_

Once upon a time, in a country farm in a distant wood, a myth was born.

It was a time of myths, of strange creatures; a time of capricious gods and goddesses who came down to earth to play with the human beings living peacefully down there, far away from the Olympus, leading ordinary lives and doing common activities.

However, this myth was not a common one, it was not as any other heard before; it was so unique that many people were curious, some others were afraid. Only one important woman was terrified, she was so afraid that the first time she felt the signs, she froze completely for hours in her chamber; it really took her a lot of strength and peace of mind to recover her calmness but she also realized that this state of quietness was just temporary.

She had seen this coming, she had had these revelations in her dreams and she had never liked them; they were too vivid for her liking, too full of disturbing images that made her feel insecure, unsafe, unprotected.

These dreams had been plaguing her sleep for months and they had also tortured her during her awaken time because they were not simple dreams, they were nightmares, a vision of terrible things to come.

This lady was a very powerful woman as well as beautiful. She was not a common lady, wherever she went, she always outstood not only because of her beauty but also for her intelligence. The former quality was easier to find among women there but the latter was not so that made her more than unforgettable.

She could be quiet and just played the perfect host or guest role, according to the situation. Whenever this was her choice, she showed off her beautiful face that held amazing big green eyes, a pair of thin and red velvety lips, high but thin cheekbones, all of these features crowned by a delicate mass of long dark curls, which surrounded that delicate face of fair complexion. The skin was flawless as well as her young body.

The lady was neither tall nor short, she was medium height, quite thin but not skinny, her long and slender arms and legs ended in delicate fingers and toes, the first ones with cared and varnished nails, also wearing many gold rings; the second ones always wrapped in the finest leather sandals.

Her intelligence was legendary, she was so smart that people in general, but especially men, came to see her and ask for her advice as if she were a seer in an oracle. She was good at giving advices and foretelling events and she was always right. She was also a woman of good wishes and intentions , she was a woman of light but suddenly, without any logical explanation, everything changed and what used to be good and luminous, was not anymore.

One day, a man, not just a commoner but a royal prince came to her door to ask for her wise advice. The young prince was about to marry but he could not make up his mind; he could not decide who of the two princesses was the best option, not only for him but also for his future kingdom.

One of the maids opened the door and let the young prince enter, after suggesting him to take a seat in the inner chamber while she told her young lady about his presence. The young man listened to light footsteps approaching so he raised his head, when the young lady set her green eyes on the man's light-blue ones, she knew instantly that she had to have that man for herself; that single look had captured her attention as well as the golden aura surrounding the man in front of her. She approached swiftly and set her slender and small hand on the strong arm of the man; the simple touch gave her the vision of his future, one that looked very promising and also a hint of her own future to come by his side. She immediately realized that her deepest dream could come true if she won the heart of the young prince.

But there was a big and significant problem: this prince was not attracted to this lady; in fact she did not provoke any reaction in him at all; she was not the one the prince was eager to spend his life with.

Sensing the lack of interest of the prince, which had profoundly molested her, the lady decided to put into practice something she had not used in a long time, this thing was magic, real magic, the one that did not come from the light but from the deepest darkness.

She invited the brave prince to sit with her outside, in the most secluded part of her winter garden. She explained that – in order to give him a good and accurate advice – he would have to share a special drink with her.

The brunette prince hesitated for a moment, this was not what he was expecting or had been told; he gave the idea a second thought and looking straight at those mesmerizing green eyes, he finally accepted.

So the lady stood up from her comfortable seat and went to a dark wood cabinet which was at the corner of the room and took out some small pots which contained different kind of spices, all of them brought from very far away eastern lands where only the smartest merchants could get them.

She also took out two crystal goblets of exquisite beauty, they were of a deep crimson colour and the brims were adorned with a thick design of intricate symbols. She also took out a tiny spoon made of silver, not bigger than a thumb pad. She stood on one side of the cabinet, she did not want to block the vision for the prince and she began preparing the drink. While the preparation was on, she started to ask the man some questions saying that his answers would help her to give him the best advice. However, this was not true, she wanted to gather this information so then she could use it for her own benefit.

She finished preparing the beverage and offered it to the prince, explaining that it was the first of three different drinks he would have to drink.

The prince felt confused and a bit intrigued. However, he asked her why he would have to drink so much so the lady, sat next to him on the seat she was using before, explained that the combination of herbs that composed the first drink would give him some peace of mind and clear thoughts. She also added that it would be useful because he would be able to explain clearly what he wanted about his perspective wife. Nevertheless, this was not true, the lady had just cheated him again, she had dropped some drops of allspice, an herb used to aide in communication, people tended to loose their tongues and only spoke the truth when drinking it.

The prince took a sip and he immediately began talking about what he liked and did not like about his likely princess and future Queen. He said many meaningful characteristics that the lady kept in her heart. He offered the goblet back as soon as it was empty; the young man was feeling more comfortable in the presence of the beautiful woman and he was confident enough that she would help him.

The lady accepted the goblet back and went again towards her cabinet to prepare the second drink. She explained that this second cup would give him confidence to trust in his choice of his life partner but it was not true again.

She used three different spices, the mix was quite powerful because the herbs were ginger for the inspiration of good memories, and especially of the last person they had talked to, cumin to have fidelity in new relationships and finally cloves, a very powerful herb for love and lust.

The lady went back and handed the cup to the blue-eyed man a second time; her slender fingers caressed slightly the strong ones when she handed the cup out. The man lifted his eyes from the content of the goblet and set them on the lady's face and smiled tenderly; the young woman returned the smile with another one that lit her green eyes.

She encouraged the prince to take his drink, in the meantime, she sat next to him and told him stories about herself, her childhood and she confessed – with a tiny voice – how lonely she felt in that old house, surrounded by servants but without a real family.

She also made up situations that contained part of the information given by the prince with the first beverage he took.

Without realizing that his goblet was almost empty, the prince started to look at the lady with new eyes and he immediately thought that she might be a good queen for him too because she knew him so well. The idea began to grow, not only in his head but also in his heart.

The young lady stood up for the third time, went back to the cabinet, this time with sinuous movements, and looked carefully around the little bottles that contained all her potions. If she wanted to win the prince's heart, she would have to make a bold move. Without hesitation, she lifted the hidden lid on one side of the cabinet, took the black bottle and threw ten drops of its liquid in the goblet for the prince and five drops in her own cup.

She turned round, walked towards the prince once more and gave him his cup; she raised hers and they drank a toast to true love. Both of them emptied the full content of their goblets in question of seconds; the effect was instantaneous; the prince looked at the young lady in front of him and declared his unconditional love for her.

The lady showed her fake surprise with a loud gasp, but seeing the pain her rejection could cause to the young enamored prince, she accepted his proposal of becoming his princess and future queen, when the right time came.

But a nudging feeling pocked her mind: love potions were extremely dangerous and if she did not use it in the correct way, she could suffer horrible consequences due to her mishap. The young woman pushed her own advice to a very dark and far corner of her mind and decided to enjoy and taste her recent victory over the innocent and credulous prince of Macedon.

She was a young woman and she was tired of waiting for the moment her father – who was living in his other house with a new family- would give her away to a man who would possess and control her life as well as her body and will forever. She was a strong woman – the opposite image of her weak mother – and she had decided, a long time before, that nobody would rule her. She was Olympias from Epirus and the gods would grant her the future she deserved; it did not matter how or when but she would force them to do it.

The young queen tried to erase these memories from her mind; she did not know why she was thinking about it again. It was true that she had used her magic powers to achieve her goal but she had never regretted this at all.

Well, she had never regretted until, years later, her dreams were full of these dangerous hints.

She was afraid of her dreams because the young woman was so near to have her most desired goal achieved, the one she had been working hard to get and because of it, she had tolerated the most difficult and disgusting situations.

It had taken her years to see her wish come true; meanwhile she had played the role of a devoted and loyal wife and caring queen. She had finally become queen a year ago when her husband, King Philip II of Macedon had taken the control of the northern Greek kingdom. Her king really loved her and made all her wishes come true, long ago had disappeared the first effects of the love potion but the queen had been smart enough to let some drops of cloves fall in her husband's drinks regularly, with the only purpose to keep his desire for her.

Therefore, when the queen whispered in her king's ear lovingly that she was ready to be a mother, the king was more than happy to start his own family, a true desire of his heart. His happiness was because not only he loved children but also because he would have the chance to have a legitimate heir to his throne, a son of his own blood and that he could raise to follow his very same steps and his beloved queen was the one who was going to grant him his wish.

However, the Queen's desire was profoundly different of her king's, while he wanted a lawful heir, born from his beloved wife; she wanted a royal heir of her own to rule the kingdom by herself or on behalf of her son. The direct consequence of her action would be to get rid of her annoying husband, a man who did not wake any interest or desire in her but that she had to tolerate until she got her heir.

Once her son was born, she would not need anything else; in fact, she would not need anybody else, just her son and her to live happily ever after.

But nothing was as she planned. She had seen lately the strange signs in the stars and in the guts of her sacrificed animals. Moreover, she did not like those signs she saw at all. She caressed her belly – still empty – and she realized that when the time came, she would have to do something drastic; just he would not smash her plans of power and supremacy. She did not know how she would get rid of this newcomer yet but she knew it would have to be something effective and quick, painless, if possible, but definite.

_But let me go back in time, just a little back, and tell you this story, from the very beginning until its end._

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 1

_**CHAPTER 1.**_

It was, at that moment, a stormy and dark night, but in fact, it had been a really strange day. The weather had been changing all day since very early in the morning.

Eos, the titan goddess of the dawn, rose once again from her home at the edge of Oceanus, and painted the sky slightly pinkish with his rosy fingers. She gently moved and opened the gates of heaven so her brother Helios could ride his chariot across the sky and bring the new day in. Her brother was never easy to wake up, so she nudged him hard twice. The shiny star, as most people thought, was quite lazy, but Eos knew the real truth , Helios had a lover and he enjoyed spending the night with her, his shiny silver lover was Selene, who was also one of his dearest sisters. That morning was particularly difficult for Eos to wake him up, and when he finally did, he was still sleepy and moody. Eos kissed him slightly on his warm cheek and asked him what his problem was. The shiny lover said that he hated when he had to leave his Moon alone, he also added that he felt lonely without his calm and cold soul mate. Eos, as usual, comforted him, listening to his daily protest, which was always the same rhetorical question: why human beings had not found another source of light and energy yet.

Selene had anticipated his lover's rant and so she moved slightly behind him, and being carefully of not to get burnt, the amorous Moon kissed his lover slightly on his lips and, bating her silvery eyes, she bid him goodbye until that very same night and she faded and finally disappeared in the horizon.

So Helios, being alone but happier than before, set himself on his chariot and rode upwards. While he was riding, his strength went on rising; he had not reached his full strength yet because he had still a long way. However, the god sun went on his ride along the light blue path but in a moment, he stopped his journey as soon as he spotted some movement down there. He approached and saw a beautiful young woman, dressed in a light green peplos, and she was heavily pregnant. The god sun smiled at the vision because if there was something he liked about human beings were his innocent offspring. But he also saw that the woman was grabbing her swollen belly and breathing with difficulty. Suddenly, a tall and strong man came running towards her and scooping her up in her arms, they entered the farmhouse.

Helios went on pacing the sky but he could not stop thinking about that woman, she had looked in pain and that belly was quite big for her slender frame, luckily, she had a strong man - as Nikandros Amyntoros - by her side to take care of her. In order to satisfy his curiosity, Helios approached the house and spied through the chamber window. He could see that the young woman was resting on the bed, her hands caressing gently her protruding belly and speaking softly to the baby inside her womb. He could not distinguish what her words were about but he could realize that they were words loaded with love for her unborn baby. He was curious enough to approach a bit further and he heard the words clearly:

_-"Soon, my baby, you are due soon, you will come to complete our happiness, we have been waiting for you for so long that it is a miracle that you are nearly here."_

Helios smiled at the young woman, he could see her noble heart and the love she felt for her unborn child. The god sun saw the strong man enter the chamber, this time he was carrying a pot with some hot stew, a soft towel and warm water in a pitcher. He smiled at his wife; his eyes showed so much love for her that nobody would dare to say the contrary. He sat on the bed, by her side, next to his wife's belly and leaned over, drying with the soft towel her sweaty face.

A strong cramp struck the woman's belly and she whined lowly, Iris Amyntoros was a strong woman; she would tolerate any pain her baby wanted to give her because she knew that, in the end, she would be rewarded with the blessing of their first child. Another strong contraction signaled the beginning of her labor process and more pain.

Helios went away, promising himself that he would come back to check on her later. Some hours in the day, Helios was standing above the Amyntoros house when he heard a loud cry; he descended quickly towards the house and peeped through the window, once more. Poor Iris was sweating a lot, her face was traced with lines of pain and anyone could easily see the tracks that tears had left on her flushed skin.

Nikandros came inside the chamber again, this time with a midwife who quickly stood up by Iris's bed. The god Sun started to shine a bit less and he also diminished his heat; Helios was really worried about the young woman's suffering so he tried to make the weather not so hot so she could feel more comfortable.

The day was passing by slowly, Helios was getting more and more upset, no matter what he did, young Iris did not feel any better. Shivers and strong contractions were still traveling her body; her midwife was by her side, drying her forehead and letting her take little sips of water mixed with motherwort to reduce the pain.

Grey and black clouds covered the sky in questions of minutes and suddenly Helios felt a shiver, "What a strange sensation for a ball of fire!" thought the god Sun. Seconds later a loud thunder woke up the earth. Several thunders, each louder than the previous ones, deafened the human beings and the animals that caught in the open.

A lightning stroke the tree beside the chamber window and the tree caught fire immediately, like a huge candle, sending a signal towards the gods in the sky.

At the exact moment that the lightning struck the tree, a baby cry was heard and loud and delighted laugh lightened the dark atmosphere.

The new father went out of the house, he did not care it was pouring heavily, and ran towards the small altar he had built next to the house as soon as he knew about the pregnancy. He offered and then burnt the guts of a young white calf and thanked the gods for their good fortune. The Amyntoros name had been, once more, honored with a true heir.

One of the grooms came running to find his master and asked:

"Has the baby been born?"

"Yes, he is here, Theo" answered the proud father.

"What is his name, master?" asked the groom with a wide smile crowning his face.

"He is called Hephaestion Amyntoros" replied Nikandros while looking after the embers in the altar.

"Why have you chosen that name, sire?" asked the boy puzzled but knowing that his master and lady would have a good explanation.

"Because he was born at exactly the same moment the tree next to the chamber caught fire and Iris's green eyes caught the reflection of the flames in them; apart from that Hephaestus is such a powerful god that we decided to name him after the god of fire" Nikandros explained the young groom.

"Good choice, my lord. May the gods bless him with a long life and strength to face everything that life presented him" said Theo smiling to his master, who returned the smile while patting the groom's shoulder.

"Thank you Theo for your good wishes. I will go back to the house now. Can you tell the good news to the rest of the workers?" asked Nikandros.

"It would be an honour for me. Do you think we could meet him later?" Theo asked.

"Of course, go and ask the rest to come over before Lady Iris takes her very well deserved rest" said the man while walking back to his family.

Helios, the all-seeing sun, was overjoyed; a new human baby had been born, bringing happiness to the young Amyntoros couple, he had been given a good name, his father had honored and thanked the gods and not only the mother Iris, the lady rainbow, but also the baby seemed to be doing fine, a bit exhausted but healthy.

Grooms and maids, shepherds and farmers entered timidly the farmhouse and they went on walking until they reached the master chamber, they knocked slightly onto the door and Nikandros let them enter. All of them came bearing gifts for the newborn and his mother. Most of them were very modest gifts, product of their own work but all of them had been made with so much love that the newly parents were thrilled with joy.

The eldest maid, Helena, who had been with Iris since the lady were a baby, took a look at baby Hephaestion and said:

"By Zeus, he is the most beautiful baby boy I have ever seen, you should believe me as I have seen nearly a hundred babies in my seventy years on these lands. You were truly blessed with him, my lords"

"Thank you Helena, and now you have the duty of looking after another baby as you did with me and my siblings" answered Iris with love in her sweet voice.

"It would be my pleasure, my little rainbow; you were the most beautiful baby girl of all in these lands; and you grew to become a decent and noble woman" answered the old lady.

"That was one of the reasons why I married her and so it is also my wish that you, our dear Helena, help Iris with the baby and be his nanny" said Nikandros who couldn't fail seeing the tears falling down the wrinkled cheeks of the old woman in front of him.

Helena was about to answer when the baby yawned and, as if the boy could understand his parents' wish, he opened his eyes and focused them on the old lady by his side. Helena gasped and exclaimed:

"By sweet Aphrodite, look at those cerulean eyes, they are like to pieces of heaven set on that face, two waves stolen to Poseidon to make the bluest eyes ever seen, two jewels that can show that they are older than his age. I can also see a silver and golden halo covering his body, it is a good sign and remember what I say today: this baby will be special, he will be loved as much as hated but he will always outstand his peers until he finds his place in this world, a place next to someone in power, but who would love him until the end"

Everybody looked at the old woman, who was coming out of her trance, and smiled at the good omen. They bid them farewell and let the family get their more than deserved rest.

Helios, who was watching through the window again, was happy to see so many things offered to the baby boy and even though he was feeling joyous, Helios was still a bit skittish so he decided to take some measures in order to assure the baby's wellbeing.

When he met his gentle lover, the god sun commented her what had been happening in the little farmhouse and Selene, seeing his lover a bit anxious, promised to look after and have a watchful eye over the woman and the new born baby boy. The sun spent some hours with her beloved, until the silver queen of the night had to travel along the midnight sky to give light and calmness to the mortals.

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It is amazing to see how many hits this story has had, so thank you very much and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2.

Meanwhile, some stadia from the quiet and homely farmhouse, another pregnant woman was rolling and speaking in her sleep, her skin was flushed and sweaty, her long dark curly tresses were entangled around her neck as if it were her beloved snakes. Once again, the same dream was attacking her rest: a storm, a clap of loud thunders, a lightning, a baby cry, blue wise eyes, laughter and hugs, kisses and deep true love. She sat on the big and fluffy bed, dried the sweat of her forehead with the sleeve of his nightgown, turned round and took a sip from the goblet on her bedside table. Her baby had been kicking her without mercy during all day long.

One of her maid said that the baby could be nervous because the weather was very strange and she also added that unborn children could sense when something extraordinary was going to happen. As soon as the maid closed her mouth, the young queen threw her out of her chamber, threatening her with death if she listened to her saying some senseless things again. But queen Olympias knew that what the maid was saying was true.

In the first hours of the afternoon, the queen had retired to her chamber to rest after taking a hearty lunch with her husband. In those hours, the baby had not kicked or moved once, as if he were sleeping in his watery world but he began doing tiny movements as soon as the sky turned pitch black, covered by heavy dark grey clouds, and the movements went of increasing during the heavy storm. When a massive lightning lit the Macedonian sky, the baby bounced inside the royal womb repeatedly, as if he were happily celebrating. After all those hectic movements, the unborn child was quiet for the rest of the night, but the mother could not sleep at all. In fact, the dreams were invading her mind and flooding it with images, some of them so blurry that she could not distinguish things clearly.

As she could neither sleep nor go out for a walk, she started to think that her baby would be due in a month time and she was rather nervous; she needed this baby; she needed him to fully achieve her plans. Then, later when the baby was born and safe, she would have time to love him; she only prayed the gods to grant her a healthy son, without any physical defect. If his body was strong, she would look after his mind, she wanted to have a powerful and decided heir, never a princeling but a strong king.

Some days after the "strange storm", as people had started to call that natural phenomenon, news of the newly born beautiful boy got to the royal palace. The news had been running along the surrounding areas and the palace maids had tried to hide this information from the queen's personal maids but luck was not on their side. The queen had been walking along the palace halls, trying to soothe the pain in her lower swollen belly. Suddenly she had had the crave for some sweet treats and so she began walking towards the kitchen, instead of calling to one of her maids. On arriving to the wooden door that had been left ajar, the dark- haired woman listened carefully to their talking and immediately a pang of jealousy invaded her dark heart.

"Why are they speaking about a simple farm boy? What is special about him? How is it that nobody had told her about this?" the Macedonian queen wondered while she reassumed her pacing back and forwards to lessen the pain that now, she had not only in her belly but also in her heart.

Olympias went back to her chamber and sitting on one of her couches, she took her dearest slippery and cold friend and looking at her yellowish eyes, she started to think what she would do as regards that farm baby boy.

The first thing that she decided to do was to gather information about this baby and his family, there had to be something about them that she could use on her own benefit, because something, deep in her heart, told her that this newly born could be the trouble-maker she had been expecting to appear and ruin her plans.

Her dreams had been invading her resting time more frequently than ever, especially since the "strange storm" and some images had become clearer. She realized that the "strange storm" had to be special enough because it had marked a turning point not only in her pregnancy but also in everybody's lives. Everything had been different after that night, her baby had been kicking and moving as if he was eager to get out from the cozy womb and people around the palace and inside it had realized that something extraordinary was about to happen. The queen assumed that people would think about the birth of the heir to the throne as that extraordinary event but they did not, they started to talk about this blue-eyed baby and that made the queen suspicious. Moreover, the images provided new and disturbing information. She had seen a blonde boy with two different colour eyes, one green and one grey; then this blurred and another appeared, this time two youths were in each other's arms, hugging tightly and kissing, not as friends but as lovers; then the blonde young man was arguing with someone heatedly but she could not see who that person was.

Some hours went by and she had finally made up a good plan. Due to her current condition, she would not be able to do it by herself so she had to choose her allies very carefully. Her minions had to be loyal and ready to do anything for her, their devotion had to be so strong that if something went wrong, they would take her secret to their cold tombs.

The choice was easy; her oldest personal maid would help her without hesitation. She had been with Olympias since she was a teen back in her father's house and she was the only one who knew the way she had cheated her husband when he came years ago for her advice. The queen told her about the plan and gave her a week time to find out what was going on in that far distant farmhouse.

A week later, the loyal maid came to her chamber with the information requested and the queen could not hide that she had been looking forward to hearing everything about her findings.

They sat comfortably on the fluffy couch, the maid started talking, and she did that for three long hours. The queen interrupted her speaking now and then to ask some questions or to reconfirm some of the events she had been told.

The family living in that farmhouse was one of pure Macedonian blood, as old as the land itself. The man, Nikandros Amyntoros had been a soldier in the army but he had left the active service when a badly wound, too serious and improperly taken car of, let him with a severe limp. It was when he decided to go back to his father's home and do what all the Amyntoros men did well and loved: the breed and taming of horses, especially of war stallions. The family had been providing the Macedonian army with their horses since time immemorial. The woman, Iris Kallas, was a nice young woman, born of loving but traditional parents, she had learnt how to write and read at home, taught by her own mother who believed that women had to have the same opportunities as men had. This open-minded education made of her a very active and determined young woman, when the time to get married arrived, she told her parents that she would marry with only one condition, she was the only one allowed to choose the prospective husband, as she ardently believed that a marriage without love was not a marriage at all. She met Nikandros at the market, it was love at first sight for both of them, and they celebrated their marriage the following spring, when the omen of a long and prosperous marriage and life together had been granted. The happy couple had moved to their own farm, in the outskirts of Pella and there Nikandros began his own horse breeding while Iris did her own clothes and handcrafts; she also tutored the small children of their farmers.

The old maid said that everybody loved the Amyntoros couple as they were very supportive with their neighbours and travelers too. However, as much as they dreamed about a child, their wish was not immediately granted but they did not lose their faith in the gods. Finally, after five years of constant prays and sacrifices to the gods, sweet Aphrodite had come to Iris in her dream and told her that a beloved baby would flourish in her belly. Nine months after that apparition, the Amyntoros couple saw their dearest dream come true and Hephaestion crowned their life with sheer happiness.

The queen interrupted her maid again, this time she wanted to know what the baby looked like. The old woman said that she could only see him for a brief moment when her nanny Helena was taking him to her mother who was in the garden. She saw that the baby boy was gorgeous, he had white skin like marble and very little hair but it had the colour of bronze or copper, he did not look chubby but slender. One of the farmers told her that the boy had cerulean eyes and that he always had them very wide open. She also added Helena's comment about the old age of those eyes.

While the loyal maid was revealing all the information she had gathered in those seven days, she could see the changes on her queen's face. Her expressions, which were always serious, as if they had been carved in the whitest marble, were now of anxiety and horror. The old lady got very nervous, seeing the queen so agitated, so she asked her what was happening and how she could help her.

The Macedonian queen breathed deeply, put her hair out of her face and started her own retelling. The previous night had been a stormy night, it had not been as strong as the "strange storm" but she felt quite tense. She did not take dinner, she barely had a cup with sweetened milk and she apologized with her husband for leaving him alone during the meal but she was excused as the loving king realized that she was not feeling well. She retreated to her chamber and made a beeline to her bed as she was also feeling tired. Not longer after she had closed her eyes, she started dreaming again, new more images appeared, this time they were clearer than ever, and they gave her a nearly complete picture of a situation to come, one that she would do up to the impossible to not let it happen.

She took a moment to respire profoundly one more time and she continued telling her maid about the last image she could perceive. She saw a tender boy with brunette hair running after a blonde one, then both boys turned into two young men and she saw them sharing a bed in an amorous way. In that moment, the brunette turned round in his lover's arms and facing her, she could finally see the man's face and the outstanding feature was their eyes, two pieces of heaven in a handsome face. She could also listen - for the first time - to the brunette's voice, a baritone one, whispering into the blonde's ear that it was she the cause of his past bad luck.

The little and innocent baby the old maid had been talking about was the "chosen" one, the only one who would bring her doom if she did not stop him. For the Queen, it was just a little brat she had to get rid of.

She thanked her maid profusely and gave her a gold brooch as payment for her loyalty and her investigation. Olympias offered her the brooch because she knew that in that way she had bought her silence too. Afterwards, the maid was dismissed and the queen sat on her bed, surrounded by her coral snakes because she believed that the cold-blooded animals helped her to think better and not to take hasty decisions. She had many plans, the first one was to kidnap the baby but as he was so remarkable, anyone would recognize him, then she thought about giving him one of her "special" potions but the maid said that his nanny or his mother always accompanied the baby so it would be very difficult to get closer. Finally, the brightest plan became known and she liked what she saw in her mind. It would be effective, long lasting and merciful at the same time. No one on earth would dare to hinder her plans, the ones she had been so hard working for to get. She had bewitched and made a great king eat out of the palm of her own hand; she was more than confident that she would be able to handle a baby quite easily.

She decided that the following day would be the last day of the Amyntoros baby among the livings and the first day of the rest of her life in which she would not know that her dreams might shatter into a thousand pieces.

TBC


	4. Chapter 3

The following day ran slowly, Helios had languidly traveled along the light blue path during all day long; he had already visited his most favourite human being, the little baby Hephaestion, whose mother had been cuddling him while sitting in her own garden. He followed his way and finally decided it was time to visit his beloved moon again.

When the evening arrived and the sky started to turn dark, with very few stars adorning the nigh sky, a person clad in a heavy and dark cloak could be seen abandoning the royal palace through the back gates. The pace was careful and extremely silent. The person moved rather slowly, in spite of the fact that it looked rather small. The clad person made the way towards north, in the direction of the outskirts of Pella, and continued the walking until it reached the area where most of the farms were. The person made the way to the most distant farmhouse, following the instructions given to find it. The person stopped to regain the breath, which was going out of the mouth like little puffing and panting. The person reached the desired house and hid in the darkness for a while, using the dark sky to cover her presence. It was waiting for the perfect moment to strike because it knew that the possibilities would never be many.

But this person was not alone, it had brought one of the most poisonous snakes that it had in her possession. The person took the snake lovingly in the hands and approached to the mouth, in that way, the person whispered the instructions to the snake that had his yellowish eyes staring back into big green ones.

The clad person went on walking a bit further ahead and setting herself below the baby's chamber window, she raised her arms and let the cold-blooded animal slip through it.

Selene, the moon, who was still looking after the one-month old baby Hephaestion, saw movements near the Amyntoros farmhouse. She moved further and made her moonlight a bit brighter so she could see better and discover if something unusual was happening. However, when her light lit the cloaked person and she saw the delicate and very well known features, she did not really pay more attention to that; the person in question was a common visitor during the night time and Selene has seen her walking around many times before.

The snake, which had been released inside the baby boy's chamber some minutes earlier, slid quietly and with sinuous movements towards the crib and it climbed up by one of the wooden legs. When it reached the top of the baby's bed, it positioned itself, near the infant's head, and got ready to attack and bite the little one in his vulnerable neck. However, nothing ended as it had been thought, the baby Hephaestion chose that moment to wake up and fixing his gaze on the snake, it dropped dead to the floor, next to the crib. The baby went on sleeping peacefully.

The woman, who had climbed to a little boulder with a lot of difficulty, could not believe her eyes, what she had already seen was impossible, her most powerful and deadly snake had perished because the little One had looked at her; this baby could not be killed because he was highly protected by something or someone very powerful. The young woman thought that, maybe, she was a protégée of one of the goddess, who tended to fall in love for the pretty ones, being Aphrodite her first choice.

The woman realized that she had to think about something else quickly, another thing had to be done; something more powerful and everlasting.

She had not done something like that in a long time but she was confident that if she could focus, this new plan would be successful. She stepped down the boulder she was on, walked up to the parents' chamber and whispered some calm words, she casted a sleeping spell on them and that enabled her to slide - through the back door- into the house. She reached the baby's door chamber, she started her mumbling, which started to sound louder and more agitated, and finally she got closer to the crib and set her hands above the baby's head.

A strong blue light flooded the inside of the crib as soon as the woman performed a human transmutation spell, the one and only prohibited spell of all. When the blue light extinguished, the woman gave a last look at her new creation and with satisfaction painted on the face, the cloaked woman abandoned the farmhouse, leaving behind a trail of hate and future pain.

The Macedonian queen walked back to the palace and sneaked into it without being seen, as she used one of the hidden doors, built in former times to have a quick exit whenever a danger existed.

While she was walking to her chambers, she had to stop and grab her belly, her unborn child had been kicking her repeatedly and without mercy since the very moment she left the Amyntoros farmhouse. Even though she was accustomed to the kicking, this was different, she felt as if the baby inside wanted to hurt her.

She continued her walk as soon as the pain subsided but she could not go further, luckily, her older maid, the one who had been gathering the information for her, was coming towards the entrance door to see if her lady was coming back. The maid snaked one of her arms around the queen's waist and with the other took her hand to keep her balance. They went walking slowly to the chamber, the old woman was worried and expressed her concern to the queen. Olympia tried to calm her down, saying that she had taken a longer walk than the one she had expected and that that was the cause of her tiredness.

The maid made the queen enter her room and helped her to take her sandals and the heavy cloak off. She poured Olympia a glass of fresh water to let her regain her breath and moisten her dry throat. She finally lied down on the bed and suggested to the maid that she would better call for the doctor and the midwife.

A strong and long contraction traveled along her full body and made her gasp, the pain was so intense that the young queen bent her body like a ball, acquiring a typical fetal position. The contractions followed one after the other without so much difference between them. The queen was now, lying on her back, with one of her fists clenched while her other hand was grabbing the bed sheet tightly.

After a particular long and severe contraction, she closed her teary eyes and she saw – even with her eyelids closed- her latest premonition: her unborn child would be a son, descendant of the strong and heroic Achilles, a son who would prove himself to be courageous as a lion, wise as dolphin and quick as a fox. She had also dreamt about a thunderbolt striking her swollen belly and given through this, the most powerful energy to the little One inside her.

She felt exhausted, as if she was going to fall into a deep slumber, when the baby showed his head crowning, she pushed hard three times and in the fourth the baby was born, giving a powerful shout, announcing the whole world that he was there, being part of it and ready to conquer all.

Half an hour later, the Macedonian king Philip II was introduced to his firstborn and heir to his throne. The midwife put the baby between the king's strong arms and he proceeded to look at him carefully, looking for any flaw. He started by the little head, covered in thin golden hair, the small body had a skin as white as the finest marble, his arms and legs were quite thin but in spite of the small size, the king Philip could see the strength within the little body and he felt proud.

The priest came closer to meet the prince and in that moment the little One decided to yawn and opened his still blurry eyes, and the priest gaped in astonishment. The priest had a closer look to the prince's eyes and he discovered they had different colours, one grey and one green.

King Philip asked if that was a good or a bad omen and so the priest calm the king down. It was an extraordinary good omen because he foretold two big kingdoms for the prince to rule. The king showed his pride by lifting the newly born up and saying with his deep voice: _"This is my son, Alexander, the next king of Macedon and of any other kingdom he dared to conquer"_

Queen Olympias was really excited, her heir had been born healthy and with a good omen; his father was feeling proud of him and all the perils, which had been threatening his existence, had already disappeared.

Now, she could rest for a while and plan her life in advance with her beloved son by her side.

Meanwhile, in a distant farmhouse, the people in the house were awakening from a very deep sleep. All of them were suffering from a strong headache, as if their senses were still numb, as if they had been drinking heavily the nigh before.

A sense of in tranquility invaded the lady's mind and a bad feeling nestled in her heart.

Determined but light footsteps could be listened running towards the baby's room and in that moment, a painful cry invaded the early morning because Iris, the lady rainbow, had found blood in the empty crib and her son missing.

Her dreams shattered in thousand of pieces and she could only think who could have been evil enough to harm an innocent and helpless baby.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 4

As soon as Nikandros listened to his wife's cry, he ran to the chamber and saw with horror the scene in front of his eyes. His beautiful Iris was sitting on the floor, with her thin arms around her legs and rocking herself back and forwards; tears were running freely along her cheeks and she had the bloodied tiny chiton, which she had found near the door, in one of her hands, squeezing it tightly. The strong man fell by her side and scooped her in his arms while looking around the room in search of any clue that could help him discovered who had done harm to his beloved little son. Unfortunately, he saw nothing so he stood up and carried his still sobbing wife to their chamber. He laid her on the bed and went out of the room in search of Helena, who was already coming there. Nikandros asked the nanny to look after his wife while he organized a search party.

The bad news spread quickly among the workers and all of them were waiting, outside the farmhouse, to offer their help to their master. Nikandros divided the men in three teams, sending them in different directions; most of them were riding on horses, except for the hunters who decided to go on foot in order not to miss tiny clues.

Helios was astonished, his favourite little human being had been attacked and he couldn't prevent it, what surprised him most was that his beloved Selene had not seen anything strange during the previous night, or else she would have told him when they crossed their paths for their morning kiss.

The god sun decided to help the Amyntoros again, in the same way he had done a month before; he diminished the heat of his rays but he still provided a good light for the men to see clearly among the wood tracks, which – in same cases- were very dark, even during daytime.

The search parties came back to the main house some hours later with any answer for their loving lady; their faces reveled their lack of luck and so Iris, who was waiting for them to return, fell to her knees and started to tear her hair out. Nikandros ran to her side and told her that they just only came back to eat and rest for an hour before they started their search again. A glimmer of hope could be seen in her teary eyes and so she ran inside to organize the food for the men.

Helios was going down in the sky when the men finally returned, they did not dare to enter the house, they knew that none of them would be brave enough to tell their lady that the search had been unsuccessful. A tired and overwhelmed with pain master entered the house to find his wife, asleep, all curled up on a couch, still holding the tiny chiton in her hand.

He leant over, kissed her forehead lovingly and sat on the floor, next to her, with his head on her lap. He should have fallen asleep because when he stirred in his sleep, he could feel a gentle hand stroking his brunette short tresses. He lifted his gaze and stared at his wife's eyes, which had lost the brightness that was the unique feature of her green eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but not a single word came out of it, she was completely dumb, unable to utter a word and so the strong man saw how his perfect world fell into pieces and he realized that he might not have the strength to pull it up together again.

A day turned into two and the following days turned into a week and, no matter how tired Nikandros was after working all day long, he continued going out in search of his lost baby. Fruitless were all the thorough searches he did in those days until one night, when he was about to go out, lady Iris stopped him by placing herself in front of the door, blocking it. She hugged him tightly and whispered into his ear _**"No more, please"**_. That night both parents cried for their dead son until they fell asleep in each other's arms.  
No more laughs were listened in that house again.

The news of the death of the little Amyntoros boy shocked the surrounding area and it reached the royal palace too. But this time, it was not the queen who listened to the maid speaking in the kitchen about this, but the king and being intrigued about it, he entered the room and asked them to retell them everything they knew about it. The maids told him about the mysterious way in which the baby boy had been killed ten days ago and the king was sad about the Amyntoros's misfortune, as he knew them well, especially to Nikandros, who had been selling his stallions to the Macedonian army.

He went to his chamber, took a new scroll and wrote a brief letter. He then asked one of his pages to take the letter to the Amyntoros quickly and wait for an answer, so the young man galloped fast to the outskirts of Pella.  
On arriving to the place, he asked to see the lord of the house while he got off the horse; the groom took the rein of the horse but he could not help looking quite nervous, this page was a royal page, not the common messenger that used to come to set the order for new horses. He hoped his lord was not in trouble, enough pain they had had since the loss of their baby.

Some time later, the same groom was asked to prepare their masters' horses, the boy ran to the stable and within minutes he brought Thunder and Aglaia, the powerful stallion and the docile mare. Lord and Lady Amyntoros left their home followed by the royal page and, after a short ride, they got to the palace.

One of the king's secretaries took them to the Throne room, where Philip was waiting for them. The king lifted from his couch and embraced the man, who was deeply moved by the kind gesture. Philip then turned to lady Iris and taking her small hands in his, expressed his most sincere condolences for their loss. They talked for a while about what had been done in order to find the little one; the king even offered some of his men to help in the search, but Nikandros told him that his wife had asked him to stop and after that she had lost her power of speech. The king smiled warmly to the woman who returned the gesture with a slight nod.

Lady Iris took a little copybook from an inside pocket in her dress and scribbled something, then she showed to his husband. He nodded at her with love in his eyes and told the king that they had brought something for the little prince and that they would be happy if he could accept the gift. King Philip accepted the gift and asked them if they wanted to meet the baby. The couple answered that it would be their pleasure, so the king asked his page to tell Olympia to come and to bring Alexander with her.

Minutes later, the queen, dressed in a brilliant red peplos appeared with little Alexander in her arms, who was crying loudly. The queen's features could not hide her disgust, she had been trying all morning to calm the baby down, and when she thought she was going to succeed, that page had knocked at her door, making such a loud noise that sent her son into a fit again.

She tried to mask her unhappiness and walked towards her husband, rocking the little prince to sleep in her arms. The king showed her the present given and as she wanted to see it, she gave the baby to his father but the little one continued crying.

Philip looked at Iris and took a step towards her, and leaning forward, he put the baby in her arms. The moment she took Alexander and their eyes locked, the baby calmed down and stared into Iris's green eyes. The little prince lifted his chubby hand and set it over the lady's heart as if he wanted to caress her and take her pain away; she could not repress the sob because her little Hephaestion used to do exactly the same thing.

Olympias took her eyes out of the embroided chiton and cloak and asked the woman what she had done to calm her son down. Iris looked at her husband and he could see the answer in her eyes, Olympias got a bit angry because that woman was not telling her what she did, so Philip explained to her that she had recently lost her own baby boy and she could not longer speak. Nikandros told her that his wife had always had in her the power to calm down, not only people but also animals and the ability to discover what people needed or were hiding.

The queen looked at the woman again and she realized who she was and who the baby they had lost was too. She felt rather uncomfortable and nervous in her presence because if she had that power – as her husband claimed – she could easily discovered that she had been involved in the baby's disappearance.

She wanted to excuse herself and leave but she knew that it would be a bit strange, especially because her son was comfortably sleeping in that woman's arms while she caressed the royal cheek and racked her slender fingers through the thin blonde curls.

Olympias invited them to stay for dinner but the invitation was gently refused. Nikandros explained that they had had a very strenuous day and that his wife really needed to sleep if she wanted to recover her health. Lady Iris kissed the prince's forehead tenderly and gave him back to his mother. The baby had already sensed the exchange – from loving warm arms to others practical and cold – and he whined. Iris approached the baby and kissed his forehead again and the little one smiled in his sleep.

TBC


	6. Chapter 5

The northern woods looked as they had ever looked before but she was nervous; in fact she had not been feeling safe since the "strange storm". The woods, that had been since her birth her home, now were strange lands, full of noise, perils and loneliness. She was not accustomed to be on her own, she had always belonged to a pack, first her father's, then his mate's brother and now she was left alone by her own family.

She lifted her head up to the sky, smelled the air but she could not decipher where she was. She was still a bit weak and she had never been good at tracking things, that was the job of his beloved mate, who was now running freely in the wolves' heaven.

She sat next to a fallen olive tree and let herself lie along it falling into a deep slumber, due to her exhaustion and her lack of food and drink.

She was Asteri, a beautiful and slender she wolf that lived in the Macedonian woods with her pack of sixteen members. Her mate was one of the most handsome wolves of the pack but he was not the alpha wolf, it was his brother, so he had taken the role of the beta wolf, the second in command, giving Asteri a prominent position in the family. However, not everything was peacefully inside her family. The alpha wolf was jealous of his brother because he had been the one to capture Asteri's attention; to put the matters worse, the black she wolf had rejected their leader as a mate and she had never allowed him near her. The explanation was simple: she loved her mate too much and, as everybody knew, wolves are monogamous and she had already chosen her beloved soul mate. She had never mated before because she was a bit strange, the rest of the she wolves in her pack claimed that she was too naïve; Asteri was frequently found looking at men and women working in their fields and she had gone as far as to accept the human children around and let them pet her. She had really enjoyed how the chubby hands caressed her thick and black fur or how they ran after her or played hide and seek. One afternoon, she came back to the pack wearing a flower necklace that one of the little girls had put around her neck. The alpha wolf tore it apart and forbade her to get closer to the human beings again. He warned her that if she disobeyed him again she would be expelled of the pack. Asteri gasped with fear, she knew that their leader was punishing her for her rejection. That was how she turned into a quieter animal, following the others wherever they went. If they passed on their way near the children, she played deaf to their shouts and so the little ones stopped calling her.

While she was laying near the tree, her eyes started to move behind her eyelids. She was dreaming again and it was not either a peaceful dream or a beautiful one. She saw how the sky suddenly got dark, the alpha wolf commanded them to walk faster as a big storm was coming; her mate was walking behind his brother so he did not realize that Asteri was the last. Next to her, was their little wolf cub, a thin black and brown ball of soft fur, with thin legs and pointy ears. The little one smelled the air, trying to catch the weird scent in the air. Mother and cub were walking slowly due to the strong wind that was hitting their still weaken bodies. Asteri had not fully recovered from the delivery, it had also been a hard season and the food had not been abundant. They had also been moving a lot lately; men had been hunting further than the usual places they used to and had been more lethal than ever, it was not their case but other packs had lost most of their males or, in the worst of the cases, their females, losing their possibilities to rebuild the pack.

A strong clap of thunder agitated the air, the animals could feel the sky groaning at the electricity running along them; every animal on the land, sea or air were running away, looking for a safe place to stay until the storm drove away.

The wolves got to a dry and big cave; they entered there and started to organize for the night. Mothers groomed their cubs, brushing off the water and dirt that might have caught while the wind was blowing; the males went further inside the cave to see if there was any chance of food left by previous occupants. In that moment, Asteri's mate realized that neither her nor the cub were within the pack. He went back to the opening and saw two figures, one medium-size and one little, struggling against the strong wind that was throwing them backwards. Without paying attention to his brother's warning, he went out of the safety of cave and went to fetch his family. Asteri was pushing her cub strongly with her muzzle, which was pressed to the back of the little one. The cub saw his father in the distant and started to run faster, trying to escape from the adverse weather. Asteri was about to warn him when suddenly a lightning stroke an old and dry tree and it split the tree in two. Unfortunately, one of the heavy halves crushed both father and cub under its weight and Asteri howled dramatically, seeing her family taken in front of her eyes. She ran towards them and she realized that the tiny body was not moving anymore, she licked his muzzle, saying her goodbyes to her only son. She then turned her head towards her partner's, who was barely breathing; she set her head near his and whined until death took him away from her too.

The storm battered the earth and when the weather calmed down and it was safe to go out, the alpha wolf went out of the cave and went to check the lost wolves. He found the three of them altogether, and even though he had always felt jealous of their love, he did not envy their fate. He turned back, gathered the rest of his pack and left to northern lands in order to get more food and with the desire to rebuild the pack again. He would truly miss his brother but as a good leader, he had to take care of the livings.

The night went by and morning came, the weather was better than the previous night, and Helios – looking downwards- warmed the weak and thin body of the lonely she wolf. She stirred in her sleep and opened her eyes. She painfully remembered the events of the previous day and whined again, seeing the unmoving corpses. She did not want to leave them there but she also realized that she would never be able to take her mate from under the tree. She kissed them goodbye and walked towards the cave where the rest of the pack was. To her surprise, the shelter was empty; she could not believe that they had abandoned her to die there alone. She knew about their leader's jealousy but she had never thought he would dare to abandon her.

She went out of the cave and decided to look for some food; she had never been good at it, her mate had always been the provider but now she was on her own. She walked many stadia until she finally found something to eat; she nibbled at the little rabbit she had hunted knowing that, even though she could fast for a long time, it was necessary for her to recover her full strength, especially because she had no one to look after her.

The she wolf continued her way around the woods, trying to find any clue where her pack could be heading to. As she was looking after her cub, she had not paid attention to the male wolves speaking about their destination, but – if she remembered well- the previous autumn they had headed north and they had found abundant food to survive the rest of the autumn and the incoming winter season.

Asteri was walking among the brownish and yellowish leaves when she heard a tiny whine and that alerted her; she was not alone, it could be a trap or just someone in pain. Even though she was a bit afraid, she stopped her trotting, she pricked up her ears and then she strained them to catch where the sound was coming from. She moved them as if they were antennas and she could finally detect the direction of the sound. She walked very slowly, without making any noise, and when she turned round the olive tree, she found a little ball of silver fur, half hidden by the autumn leaves. It was a wolf cub, a tiny baby wolf, so similar to the one she had lost the day before that the memory made her eyes water. She realized that the little thing was looking afraid, disoriented, and even though Asteri was near him; he was still curled up, shaking and with the muzzle hidden between his front legs. The little one was so still that Asteri got nearer to see if he was alive as she had not seen a single movement or sound in the last minutes. She stooped by his side, leaned forward and smelt him; she immediately wrinkled her muzzle because he did not smell as any other wolf she had ever met in her life and that was weird, all wolves had this characteristic smell but the little cub did not. She pushed the little and thin body with her muzzle and the animal lifted his head and once more, she was astonished, the little cub had amazing bright blue eyes, a hue of blue so strange that it was not found in animals like them. Even though most baby wolves had blue eyes when they were born; this hue of blue was completely different and this baby wolf was older than four months. She quite did not understand why his eyes had not changed colour yet.

She surrounded him, taking a good look at it while that pair of shiny cerulean eyes followed all her movements. When she stopped her inspection, the baby wolf lowered his head, showing submission; he crouched down and got near her in that position and he finally hid himself under her chin. He looked so defenseless, so tiny and lost that Asteri did not know what to do. The only thing she was sure was that she needed to be cautious in case the baby wolf's mother was near and so she stayed quiet while the little one rubbed his muzzle against her chest.

After a while, she realized that the wolf cub was alone, maybe he had also lost his pack during the storm. She decided to rest for a while. She lowered onto a thick mattress of dry leaves, she was not strong enough yet to dig a den, and lay on her side with her legs slightly open. Minutes later and when her eyes were ready to close, she felt the little wolf curled up near her stomach, searching for her warmth and he felt asleep sighing loudly. Asteri curled herself tightly around the wolf cub and giving him a look full of love, she also felt asleep.

The little wolf slept for some hours and he woke up when his stomach rumbled. He stirred in his sleep, stretched his front legs and lifted his head, that was the moment when he found himself looking into a pair of golden eyes that were eyeing him back.

The little wolf casted his eyes down, he did not want to offend the she wolf because he liked her and most important, he needed her. He felt her eyes still on him, so he looked upwards again and she asked.

"What is your name?"

"I don't know"

"How old are you?"

"I don't know"

"Where is your pack?"

"I don't know" whispered the small wolf, feeling completely distressed.

"That is fine, don not worry, I will help you to find them"

"And what will happen if we cannot find them?"

"I will look after you until you are strong enough to go on alone" Asteri answered, staring at the blue eyes.

"And you? What is your name?"

"I am Asteri"

"It is a nice name"

"Thanks, it means star"

"And your pack? Don't you have a family of your own?"

"I had a mate and a baby but they were killed during the last storm, two days ago" she said with pain in her voice.

"I am sorry, but now that you mentioned storm, I also remember a big storm but it did not rain too much, but there were a lot of lightings" the baby wolf said and Asteri could see that memories were coming back to him.

"Oh! You mean the "strange storm" but it happened near five full moons ago"

"I also remembered laughs and shouts"

"Were you living near the humans?"

"I do not remember but it could be"

"Most humans are nice, especially the children. I used to play with them" Asteri confessed.

"Why did you stop?" the little wolf cub asked curiously.

"The alpha wolf of my pack prohibited me to do it"

"Why did he do that?"

"Because he was jealous and was angry due to my rejection"

"Who was he jealous of?"

"My wonderful mate, who was also his brother"

"What are you going to do now?"

"I will try to find my pack again and see if they accept me back"

"Why shouldn't they do that? You are one of them, after all" said the little wolf who was really interested in his new friend.

"I was until two days ago but they left behind and loners are not well accepted, nevertheless, I have to try or I will not survive the winter" Asteri explained.

"What about me? Will they accept me? Will you let me go with you?" asked the cub with fear in his voice. He did not want to be alone again; he had been terrified of the darkness, the creepy sounds and some animals, especially those disgusting cold-blood ones without legs that slithered on the dry land or hid in the tall grass or above the trees to attack then with their forked and poisonous tongue.

"We can try going back together and see what they have to say but first of all you need a name; I cannot call you cub forever" said Asteri, looking at the cub and trying to figure out how she could call him.

After some minutes of close observation, the she wolf nodded to herself and said:

"I will call you Kyanos. Do you like it?"

"It sounds nice. Does it have a meaning like yours?" the cub asked curiously.

"Yes" she said and remained in silence. She could see with the corner of her golden eye that the little one was anxious to know about it but that he did not dare to ask her. Feeling pity, she asked:

"Do you want to know what it means?"

"Yes, please" said the baby wolf with a tiny voice.

"It means "dark blue"". She stopped and looked at the wolf in front of her, waiting for his next question. She was not disappointed. The little one asked her again:

"Why have you thought that name for me?"

"Because you have the strangest and the most wonderful hue of blue in your eyes and by now you should have changed the colour of them but you did not, I cannot explain you why but I think it will be your own characteristic" Asteri said looking again into his strange eyes, as if the answer was there.

"What do you mean by my own characteristic? Is it something bad?" the little cub was really worried.

"Don't worry, it is not something bad; it means that your eyes will distinguish you from the rest; sometimes it will be a good thing but maybe, just maybe, being so different may not help you" she advised him.

"I like the name, Asteri. Will you say it again?"

"Your name is Kyanos and I, Asteri, promise to be by your side until you do not need me anymore" she said with teary eyes.

"Can you be my mum?" Kyanos asked, trying not to sound so needy but secretly wishing she would accept.

"Only if you want it" she replied, swallowing deep her tears.

"I do" he affirmed happily while getting nearer, as if his presence would make her decide faster.

"So everything is set, my son. Let's move on and try to get to the pack before the cold weather catches up defenseless; I do not know why but I think this winter will be particularly hard to survive" she said, encouraging him to follow her closely, without wandering alone along any path they might encounter.

"Yes, mum" Kyanos replied, enjoying the sound of "mum" rolling out of his mouth, the little wolf could not explain why that was like that, especially because he did not recall his real mother at all, but what he remembered was a pair of green eyes and soft fingers and hands. He really wanted to know why these images were invading his mind and especially if they were real memories or just tricks of his tired mind or maybe there were just dreams.

Kyanos followed Asteri in their way to find her pack and for the first time since he opened his eyes very early this morning and he discovered he was alone in this strange land and no one to help him, he realized that he was a bit calmer; that his life could start again next to his friend and, that if they played their roles well, the alpha wolf might take them back into the family, granting in that way, food and a safe den to spend the winter safely.

Kyanos trotted behind his new mother, trying to learn from her moves, which were quite graceful and determined, all what he thought would help him to survive in a new family but what he did not know that wolves were quite territorial and that it would take a long time before he could be accepted.

But he was confident, he had Asteri by his side and he knew that god Apollo would not leave him alone.

TBC

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Bibi: thanks again for the lovely comment!


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Olympias entered the nursery chamber where Lanike, Cleitus's sister, was bathing baby Alexander. The nanny had requested this honour the very same day Alexander was born and Olympias wanted to refuse but King Philip had won her and accepted her offer in his and his wife's name. Olympias did not like Lanike too much because, even though she had a rude and serious aspect, her manners were quite soft towards the baby and she wanted her son to be strong and brave and never depending on others. She believed this up to the extreme of denying baby Alexander breastfeeding because she assumed that he could get to attach to her. She needed a strong, brave and courageous child to turn into a powerful king, not a spoiled brat who could succumb to weakness.

Even though the baby prince was only nearly four months old, he had started to show firm traces of great intelligence and he did things that other babies his same age did not dare to do.

Contrary to Queen Olympias's supposition, king Philip had demanded his own alone time with his son because he had revealed that he wanted to set strong and deep bonds with the infant, not only because he was his child but also because he wanted to be an active participant in his raising and education. The best teachers had instructed the current king, he had a considerable intelligence; he had also had a practical instruction and he wanted to share his son's life as his parents had had with him. He had been raised in a loving family and so he understood how important families were, especially when you are young. He also wanted to be near his Alexander, as he already knew that his wife, even though she loved their son up to very same Olympus, had never had a good relationship with her family.

Olympias had always said that her mother had been a weak woman and always afraid of her husband and her own shadow. She had died when Olympias was a little girl and her father re married soon after her decease and the stepmother could not deal with the difficult child, so she had been sent away with her nanny to a far away little town. He also knew that she had never had true friends because she was quite hard to understand, she was always mysterious and speaking about gods and myths and magic and other similar things.

The queen saw how Lanike took the baby gently off the water, wrapped in a smooth towel and dried him gently. She set him in the middle of the big bed, still covered in the towel and went to the wooden chest of drawers to get a loincloth and a cotton chiton to dress the prince. She took Alexander in her arms again and went to sit by the window on a comfortable couch. She placed the baby on her lap and with his head set on the crook of her elbow; she started feeding him while singing a lullaby, as ancient as the same gods were.

"_**May you find solace in the gentle arms of sleep  
Despite the wolves outside your door  
In time you will see them all as harmless  
And their idle threats easy to ignore  
And if ever fate should choose to smite you  
Stand your ground, never walk away  
Please don't ever let the world defeat you  
Don't get buried in its decay  
As you drift into the gauzy realm of dreams  
May you take comfort in the thought that you are safe  
For it only takes a fraction of a second  
For all of this to change" (1)**_

Queen Olympias decided to interrupt the tender moment; she did not approve these moments and she did not care what her husband believed about them. She had grown up without them and she was a fine lady.

Lanike left the room and went to talk to Cleitus; her brother had been under king Philip's command since he was a teenager. The dark haired warrior could see how his sister was clearly affected by something but he knew he would better wait until she decided to talk. She was fuming, she could not believe the queen could be so cold towards her own baby after all the things she had borne to have him. Cleitus tried to calm her down and suggested to go on giving her love to the little Achilles – as the siblings used to call Alexander – and be careful not to do it so openly, especially when Olympias was around. He had also promised that he would keep an eye on the Little One, not only because he loved him but also because Philip had asked him to.

Months went by and little Alexander was nearly one year old; he had been giving his first steps, always helped by his loyal nanny and his father, who was totally thrilled with this. He was also planning and dreaming about teaching his son how to ride so they could go out together on their horses.

He decided that it was time to get a horse for his Little One so, as he had done six months ago, he sent a messenger to the Amyntoros's farmhouse and the couple came again to visit their king.

On arriving to the palace, Philip made them meet him in the garden, as the weather was sunny and warm. The king was there watching over Alexander, who was walking, grabbed to one of the king's hunting dogs back. The poor animal, trained to run as fast as a thunder, was obliged to walk slowly because the royal prince was still a bit trembling on his steps.

Lady Iris saw the scene as soon as she entered the garden and she could not stop her tears, her own Hephaestion would have been doing the same thing if he had not been taken from her side a year ago.

The little boy turned his head as soon as he listened to his father speak, he was always drawn to his voice as bees to the honey , and that annoyed his mother a lot because she had not been able to get rid of her king or at least of his influence over her son.

Alexander smiled at his father, showing his four teeth, two on the upper gums and the other two in the lower one. He then turned his face towards the newcomers and he walked directly towards lady Iris, who knelt by his side to kiss his forehead. As soon as she was at his height, Alexander threw his chubby arms upwards, meaning he wanted her to pick him up. She accepted and lifted him and he suddenly cuddled onto her chest. A stray tear rolled along the rosy cheek and the little boy lifted his hand and picked the tear with a fast finger and babbled softly : _"Not cry, mum"_. Green eyes looked at the little boy in her arms and whispered:

- "I am not your mum, Alexander"

- "No mum, pretty ma'am"

- "Thank you, my prince, you will be a heartbreaker"

The little boy rested on her arms calmly and nuzzling her neck, he fell asleep. In that moment, Lanike entered the garden with a bottle with milk for the child and when she saw lady Iris holding the prince in such a motherly way, she smiled, because that was as it should be. But she also realized the pain in the woman's eyes, she was looking at the prince so intensely, as if she wanted to burn the image in her mind and take it with her.

Minutes later, queen Olympias entered and she froze on the spot, that woman was again in the palace and she was again holding her son. She went quickly to her side and demanded her to give her back her son. The rest of the people there, turned round and were astonished at the queen's harsh remark and the lady in question stood up and put the little boy in the royal arms. As soon as that happened, the little boy stirred in his slumber and sobbed, the same thing he had done six months ago. The queen was very furious and she marched out of the garden with a crying boy who did not want to stop.

King Philip apologized on his wife's name and said that she had been under pressure since some days ago and that she had not been able to sleep well. Lanike smirked, that was totally a lie but she understood why the king had said that, he was embarrassed due to his wife's irrational reaction.

They finally sat again and Philip told them what his desire was; he wanted the best horse for his son and he only trusted Nikandros to choose it. He also was happy to know that lady Iris had recovered her speak but was still sad about their missing child. Lady Iris said that she knew her little one was alive, she felt it in the bottom of her heart but she did not know where else to look for. She also told her king that the gods would reveal themselves and help them to find their boy; she had put her faith on Aphrodite and Apollo.

They bid their farewell and the king went immediately to look for his wife and demanded an explanation. The queen was still trying to calm Alexander, who was red due to his deep crying, and she was pacing while the boy was on his back, on the bed, having a tantrum and shouting. As soon as the king crossed the door, he made a beeline to the bed and picked the boy in his arms, rubbing his back and whispering soothing words into his little ear. The queen threw him a look filled with wrath and the king decided that it was time to take his son from under her mother's control; he needed to do that if not Olympias would poison his son against everybody except herself.

The king tried to think what had made his queen react like that and the only thing he could realize was that his wife did not like lady Iris, she behaved in her presence as if she were threatened, she was always nervous and on the defensive, as if she were guilty of something she only knew. He decided that he would keep on eye on his wife as well as on the Amyntoros couple.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Asteri and Kyanos wandered around the northern woods for a month, trying to get closer to Asteri´s pack. They had been walking and trotting during the day and resting during the dark hours, they had not wanted to risk their safety; they knew they were easy prey for bigger animals.

The she wolf had finally smelled a trace to her own pack and headed that way. It was midday when they got there and the first sign was not a friendly one. The males of the family surrounded them and barked deeply, the same sound they made when their den was in danger. Asteri could not believe this, she had been missing two months, they could not have forgotten her. It was true that wolf packs rarely adopted other wolves into their fold, they usually had them killed straight away. However, Asteri was confident this would not happen as she was family and Kyanos was a young wolf, under a year, but she also knew that it would be a lengthy process if they finally decided to adopt him. The poor little wolf would suffer this and it could take as long as the alpha wolf decided; until the leader established the new member could be trustworthy.

The big wolf came closer and saw his brother's mate. Next to her there was a wolf cub but it was not hers, he could clearly distinguish it as not belonging to his pack because as their fur was dark, his was silver; their eyes were golden and his cerulean, and his little frame did not smell like theirs at all. He greeted Asteri and allowed her to come forwards. The she wolf approached and crouched down in front of her, showing her submission, even though she did not like this at all. The big dark wolf made her stand up on her four legs and accepted her back into the pack. He then turned round to face the little wolf that was still standing behind Asteri, as if he did not want to be seen; his eyes showed he was afraid of the big wolf, his body was trembling but the dark wolf could not decipher if it was out of fear or cold. He asked the little cub to get closer and when Kyanos showed a bit of resistance, Asteri pushed him forwards and whispered confident words to his pointed ears. The silver wolf finally plucked up courage to be in the presence of the leader. The big wolf immediately bit Kyanos's upper neck in order to get him still and made the little wolf whimper at the sudden attack. Kyanos knew that this would be the first of several exploratory, non-fatal attacks that he would have to endure if he wanted to remain next to Asteri.

He was left alone and the alpha prohibited Asteri to get closer to him. He spent the night under the sky, looking at the stars twinkling and praying to Apollo for his help. Asteri had told him that Apollo believed wolves were sacred and because of that, the god would help him to resist the attacks. What Kyanos did not know was that it would be so difficult.

The little wolf cub was attacked repeatedly by the older males, sometimes he had been badly hurt but he resisted them but his deepest desire was to be with Asteri, as she was the only one who really cared about him. After five long weeks and seeing that the little wolf's resistance could not be broken, the alpha male decided that the attacks had reached their end and so that night, the newcomer was accepted as a member of the pack and he was called by his name by all of them. Asteri was also recognized as his mother and responsible for his cub's actions. By this way, Kyanos got the family that he deserved and Asteri had someone to look after again.

Autumn came back again and a new year began, not only for the wolf family but also for the human ones.

Chronos was not in a hurry, he had all the time in the world and he liked seeing babies grow into children, flowers bloom, families enlarge and animals reaching their adult stage. However, this autumn would be slower than ever, he had decided that men and animals needed a longer period to rebuild bonds that were longer forgotten. So the days were long but the nights were just longer, even eternal. However, that brought many good results and it turned out to be as the god wanted.

Alexander was closer to his father and they used to spend a lot of time together, not only in the palace but also outside when the weather was fine to be in the open. Philip sat his heir for the first time on a stallion, a black onyx creature who was extremely docile whenever the little prince was on him but he turned into a real fury when someone else wanted to ride him. Nikandros had made an excellent choice and he had brought the horse a month after their meeting. But "Thunder" did not come alone, it came with the most beautiful red cloak a horse could desire, it was entirely embroidered with gold threads and the names of both of them, Alexander and Thunder, were engraved on it. Lady Iris had done it herself and sent it as a present for the prince's first birthday.

Olympias was still in an angry mood, her wish of having a son had come true but the rest of her dream did not happen as she desired. In fact, her whole plan had backfired and her beautiful son used to spend more time with his father than with her and those other two nosy people, that is Lanike and Cleitus, had always an eye on her, making things more difficult. But time would come again and she would be able to follow her original plan. She would just have to wait a little longer.

Iris and Nikandros got better after the long and painful year, Iris had recovered her voice but she had never sung again, she was always quiet but she was frequently found murmuring things near an altar she had asked Nikandros to build for her. This small altar was dedicated to Aphrodite, her favourite goddess and to Apollo because he reminded her of the sun. She prayed and offered sacrifices to them everyday and asked them to look after her baby Hephaestion, because contrary to everybody's opinion, she knew he was still alive.

The last family that reinforced their bonds was the wolf's one and nobody in the last two months had dared to defy Kyanos's position in the pack. The silver wolf had turned to be a reliable hunter and an important member of the pack. Asteri could not hide her pride but even though she was happy, she had never forgotten his mate and son. Whenever Kyanos felt her sadness, he turned more amorous with her and let her treat him as a cub again, letting her to cuddle and nuzzle him as if he were a pup again.

Bonds were stronger than ever and so Chronos decided to push autumn faster and let spring bring them joy and happiness.

TBC


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

_**Five years later…**_

The royal prince was walking towards the stable, he had been able to escape from his mother's hands again and ran out of the palace before she could poison his mind against his father, one more time. Even being the tender age of six, Alexander could clearly understand that there was not love between his parents, that the noble feeling was totally stranger to both of them and that he had turned into a pawn, especially for his mother.

What he could not really understand yet was why they were still together or why his father seemed to be, sometimes, so in love with her.

Fortunately, he had the loving care of Lanike, who he considered as a mother and also that sweet and quiet lady that sent him presents every year for his birthday. The last time he saw her, he was five years old and she had come herself to bring him a present, it was a scroll with drawings about wild animals. They had sat together under an olive tree in the garden and looked at the images together, she had read to him the characteristics of all the animals mentioned and she had also included some of her own knowledge. She mentioned how some animals were related to the gods and how her favourite god was the protector of wolves. Alexander told her that he had never seen a wolf before but he knew he would feel scared, as they liked to kill human beings. Lady Iris said that this was not true and asked who had told him such a big lie. Alexander blushed and confessed that her mother had been the one telling horrible stories about the wolves, and how those mad animals belonged to the underworld. Iris laughed and hugging the little prince into her chest, she started to sing a song, the same lullaby Lanike used to sing to him when he was a baby and so he remembered that wolves were not the bloody creatures his mother had made him believe they were.

He sat on Thunder and kicking him gently on his flanks, he started to ride towards the near wood. The day was sunny and he was feeling happy, maybe because his sixth birthday was near and he was thinking what his father would give him as a present. He had promised, two years before, that he would give him a dagger to keep in his belt so maybe this year he would have it. He reached the wood and saw how thick the foliage was, the trees were so close one to the other that it seemed to build like a dome, darkening the path below it. He entered cautiously and tried to ride without making too much noise, he did not want to annoy the animals there or to attract the attention of unwanted enemies. He also knew that he should not have come alone but he felt like the need to do it, he felt as if the wood was calling him, inviting to enter in her heart and stay there.

Riding a bit further into the core of the wood, Alexander saw that everything was quiet, it seemed as if the place were timeless. He had never liked the silence, in fact it had always made him feel nervous but this silence was different, it was calm and inviting him to spend time there. He dismounted and tied Thunder's reins to a lower branch and he decided to continue his exploration on foot. He saw things he had never seen before, new and little animals and unusual flowers, a thing he liked too much but he had never dared to say to his mother because she would laugh and call him girlish.

After some time, Alexander realized he was hungry when his stomach growled loudly. He turned round and started to look for something to eat but he did not find anything he liked nearby. He went on walking until he discovered a bush of wild berries and he sat by it and started to eat. He ate so many that he fell into a deep slumber as soon as his stomach was satisfied with the sweet treat.

There, in the near shadow, an animal was looking at his prey. It was not the first time he saw him, in fact, he had been able to follow him without being noticed. He had seen how the little human pup had turned from a chubby baby into a stocky little child, a bit short but with powerful legs. He could see themselves together running fast along the woods. But that was prohibited. He could not interact with humans. The alpha male had already discovered him looking at the human children and had told him off. But Kyanos could not stop, he liked how the children ran wildly, laughing and enjoying themselves. They were so similar, little wolf cubs liked to play too, rolling over their mates, nipping their flanks and running fast like the wind. Sometimes, instead of howling, they barked and they enjoyed doing it as they could produce different sounds. But the leader had been angry with their nonsense and had banned them from getting closer to any human. Kyanos, who was already ready to defy any order he considered not rational, asked him why they should do that, because he had never seen a sign that humans were as dangerous as he made them want to believe. The alpha male stood in front of the young silver wolf and growled his answer; they would not cross path with any human being because that was his word and his word was the law inside the pack. Kyanos frowned his nose but thinking it better, he decided to accept the order, not because he believed it could be true but because he did not want to bring any problem to Asteri. The she wolf looked in his direction and sent him a thank you look and she reassumed her task of cleaning their den.

Kyanos woke up form his daydreaming and saw that the little boy was still asleep. He went to investigate the surrounding area and finding it empty of humans and wolves, he decided to take a bold step, he would get nearer the golden boy and tried to see how he really looked like.

The wolf was rather puzzled, he was confused too, he could not explain why the little boy made him feel like that, as if he needed to be near him, as if their friendship would be something important, essential for both of them. What was also strange was that those kind of feelings were too human like and Kyanos thought he had never been so close to humans to learn that kind of thing. But, sometimes, his mind played him tricks, as if he had had a double life, another one filled with images of happiness, care and love.

The silver wolf approached the little boy who was still sleeping near the bush. The first thing that Kyanos noticed was that the boy's hair was shining, as if it were on fire. The young wolf wanted to touch it; he wanted to see if it felt as soft as it looked or if it would burn his fur if he touched it with one of his paws. The small animal was attracted to this boy as a moth to a flame and he finally realized that he would not care if he got a little burnt, if that was the price to pay to be near him.

The wolf crawled in his direction, getting closer and closer, his tiny paws gave little steps till it was close enough to see the sleeping boy at a very close distance. The animal smelled the blonde curly hair and he was happy to discover that it did not burn but it was a bit warm, he immediately supposed that it had been a trick of Helios to keep the boy warm while he rested. He approached a little more and his cold and shiny black muzzle rubbed slightly one of the boy's temples. Alexander stirred in his sleep and the wolf froze in the spot, he did not want t he boy to wake up because he wanted to go on with his exploration as he was enjoying it a lot. The little prince, who was resting on one of his side, turned round and lay on his back. His hair was spread on the patch of grass as if it were a crown made of the finest threads of gold or maybe it was the mane of the lion, king of the jungle.

The young wolf was fascinated, contemplating his new friend; he wanted so badly to be near this human that it was almost painful because he knew he would not be able to achieve his desire. His defiance to the alpha mate could bring him many problems, one of them being kicked out of the pack.

The wolf smelled the air again, no thread could be smelled in it so he sighed loudly. He sat next to the little golden boy, set his furry head on the boy's lap without putting too much pressure on it. After sighing again, the silver wolf hid his muzzle in the open hand resting on the golden boy's belly; and Kyanos for the first time in a long time, felt like he could be safe and at home with this little One too.

TBC


	10. Chapter 9

Thanks for the lovely reviews, alerts and hits, nearly 9,000! The novel was nearly finished for the nano competition last year but a virus "ate" from chapter 15 onwards so I will be re writing it as soon as possible. Updates will be not so often so my apologies in advance. Let me know what you tnhink about this chapter!

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Chapter 9.

Aphrodite was clapping madly from the Olympus, her two favourite beings had finally met and she knew that a new and ever lasting friendship had been born between those two. The goddess did not understand why she cared so much about the wolf cub; that animal was one of Apollo's favourite friends. The god had told her the sad story of Kyanos while her husband Hephaestus was making him his famous bow and arrows. The goddess felt so unhappy that she cried bitterly and, only the promise of her husband that the little cub would never be badly hurt by any bow and arrows made on earth, made her feel better. Differently to what everybody thought, Aphrodite felt deep love for her husband despite his not so handsome appearance. Apollo, hearing that promise, added that he would ask his twin sister, the chaste huntress Artemis, to look after him too.

Promises made, the goddess decided that she would also favour the Macedonian heir, even though his mother did not inspire her any confidence, but the little golden boy did not have any fault in that situation.

The cheerful laughing of the goddess made the little Alexander wake up and to his surprise he found himself face to face with a wolf, which was comfortably sleeping on his lap. The little boy did not know what to do, if he moved suddenly, the wolf could get scared and attack him just with a defensive reflex. So he decided to stay still, his eyes fixedly set on the wolf's closed ones. The shut eyes cracked a bit open as if they knew a pair of another eyes were looking at him, and in that moment Alexander realized that the animal's eyes were not showing any sign of danger or malice, in fact they had a warm and surprised look at the same time.

Alexander dared to lift his chubby hand and set it gently on the top of the wolf's head, he waited for some minutes and seeing that the wolf was still there and quiet, he gently rubbed the silver fur. Alexander was astonished; the wolf's coat was extremely soft, even though it felt thick under his fingers. He petted the animal tenderly and saw with happiness how the wolf looked for his hand again when he stopped his caresses. Alexander lifted the chin with his index finger and cupping the big head in his hands, he stared into those amazing cerulean eyes. Alexander's little body was travelled by a warm shiver as soon as the wolf returned the look; his eyes had a soothing effect in his soul and he felt safe and cared in his presence.

Kyanos made a tiny movement towards Alexander, sensing that the golden boy was not afraid of him, he continued moving forwards until he nuzzled the boy's neck, making the little prince laugh cheerfully. The silver wolf looked at the boy with his head tilted to his right side, then he suddenly tilted it to the opposite side and the boy mimed the wolf's head movements while laughing. The wolf stood up, started to jump onto his hinter legs, and then made rounds as if he were chasing his own furry tail; all this happened while the little boy continued laughing heartily and clapping his chubby hands. Kyanos suddenly stopped when he felt a shadow over his head, he pressed himself tightly against the ground, his pointy ears flattened against his head and a tiny whine left his mouth. Alexander stopped his laughing and looked at the wolf with a worried expression in his face, he was trying to discover if the wolf was hurt but he did not see anything unusual; suddenly he realized that the shadows were playing tricks on the ground and the wolf got scared of them. The prince got closer and sat next to the lying wolf, he put his arms around the strong frame and whispered into his ear:

- "Don't worry, my furry friend, it is just Helios who is playing tricks on us"

The wolf looked back at the small child and asked:

- "So it is only the sun playing with us, isn't it?"

Alexander looked puzzled at the wolf, who was howling but not in pain but as if he was saying words.

- "Are you trying to speak to me, my friend? I cannot understand you" said Alexander feeling sad.

- "But I can understand you, why can't you?" asked the wolf.

- "Please, make silence or my father's hunters will find you" Alexander pleaded to the silver wolf.

- "Alright, my human friend" Kyanos said and put his head on the prince's lap and the boy re started his caresses. The wolf dozed off in the arms of his newly found friend and everything was fine.

Time later, the wolf woke up and discovered he was still in the prince's arms, he lifted his head and nuzzled the boy's cheek, who laughed again.

- "I wish you could tell me your name" said the boy.

"- I am Kyanos, the wolf with dark blue eyes" explained the silver furry animal.

- "Umm, well, I could not catch that, you know, but I am Alexander, prince of Macedon."

- "I know who you are, everybody around these lands knows who you are" howled the wolf.

- "I wish I could understand you; maybe I can ask Lanike, she may know"

Kyanos tilted his head to his left and Alexander laughed.

- "Lanike is my nanny and she always tells me stories of animals, because they are my favourite. However, I did not use to like stories of wolves because I was afraid of them"

The silver wolf looked at the child and made a backwards movement and Alexander saw how the blue eyes seemed to get teary.

- "I said I did not use to like them but I do now, Lady Iris explained me everything about wolves and she told me that they could be good friends". Alexander smiled when he saw the wolf moving towards his previous spot again.

What the wolf could not understand why that name had made him shiver and feel warm at the same time; maybe it was because the prince spoke kindly about that woman.

A voice from a far distance was calling his name, Alexander lifted his head and listened carefully; it was Cleitus's voice and he did not sound happy at all. The boy stood up immediately, dusted his chiton off and was about to answer back to the General when he felt a moist nose against the palm of his hand. Kyanos was calling for his attention so the boy knelt next to the silver boy, snaked his short arms around the thick and strong neck and whispered into his pointy ear:

- "Don't worry my friend, his voice sounds like a thunder but he loves me well. I will come back to you tomorrow. I hope you could understand me" said the boy setting a kiss on the crown of the wolf's head.

"- I do understand you, Alexander, I will be here, waiting for you, always" howled the silver wolf back.

From that day onwards, the golden prince and the silver wolf met in the heart of the woods and spent time together every single day and for long hours. Alexander told him about his days and what he had been doing and Kyanos howled back about his hunting trips and his pack, and especially about Asteri, who had not been feeling well lately. They shared stories in that unique language that only true friends could understand.

TBC.


End file.
